What's this?

[tebstan]

Anyone know what this is, or seen it before?

A while back I bought some Aussie orange zoas with some of this brittle purple stuff on the rock. I assumed it was dead, but left it attached. It was such a bright purple I thought it was coralline covering something dead. Now, about 6 months later, its grown into a little bush. It feels cartilaginous... kind of between brittle and bendy if that makes sense.

It's pretty, and grows a heck of a lot faster than the zoas it came in on. I was just wondering what to call it; "coralline bush" doesn't seem fitting.

6 months ago I didn't realize it was going to grow so I don't have a great starting picture
Aussie Orange Zoas top down 07-04-10.jpg

Now:
Purple Macro 8-24-10.jpgPurple Macro 8-24-10 Closeup White Light.jpgPurple Macro 8-24-10 Closeup Blue Light.jpgPurple Macro 8-24-10 macro shot blue light.jpg

[txg8gxp]

I think I found it. Search Janiarubens....

[Europhyllia]

could it be a Bryozoan?

[txg8gxp]

http://www.worldwidereefers.com/foru...dex-club/page4

[tebstan]

Cool link, I'm bookmarking it. I want some of those macros.

Sure looks like Jania rubens. Might have some mesophyllum growing on it as well, I just thought it was a weird plating coralline.

So Jania rubens is great in makeup and skin moisturizers, but considered 'biofoul' to shellfish farmers... its is rare, but abundant... and found everywhere in the world at any depth, depending on which site you read. Gotta love random google research.

[tebstan]

What's a Bryozoan?

[Europhyllia]

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfac...a/bryozoan.htm
I just mentioned them since my Caribbean dive guide shows some bryozoan colonies the resemble your little purple trees and are very 'fragile' fitting your description of somewhat brittle

[Europhyllia]

http://busybee.mba.ac.uk/gallerycategory.php?gcatid=14

[ramsey]

Not sure what it is but if you decide to frag it, let me know.

[tebstan]

I'll have to read more about bryozoans. Seems like the kind of critters I would like. I haven't read enough to guess if this is a macro or a bryozoan... but either way I don't know to go about fragging it? Not a bad idea if it is rare in aquariums. I like the "banking corals" concept. I'll just have to research the right way to do it.